2.9 - The Satan Pit

Rating

Votes

10

20%

26

9

39%

51

8

20%

26

7

14%

18

6

4%

5

5

2%

2

4

2%

2

3

0%

0

2

0%

0

1

0%

0

Average Rating

8.5

Votes

130

Synopsis

From IMDB:
As Rose battles the murderous Ood, the Doctor finds his every belief being challenged to the core, as the Pit beckons. With the planet threatening to fall into the black hole, the Doctor must make the ultimate sacrifice.

The Satan Pit is the second part of a two part story. It is absolutely brilliant as is the first part The Impossible Planet.

The story is among my favourite all time classics. It is a creepy, unnerving episode with some great scares but also great characterisation, great script, great acting and great production values. The Ood are introduced as an alien race used. basically, as slaves. They are fantastic. The human characters are excellent and all of the dialogue is of high standard. The story is thrilling and intelligent. Tennant and Piper are on top form as 10 and Rose with some fabulous exchanges between the two adding real depth.

This is a totally top notch Doctor Who episode that can stand alongside the greatest episodes of the classic series.

This episode manages to live up to the high expectations set by the Impossible Planet. The story has some well-done action scenes, mixed with some strong psychological elements. This episode is Rose's strongest story in Series 2 as she really shows the strength of her character.

The Doctor's character is also front and center. He can do little help the people on the ship, so our time with the Doctor is all focused on him and his character as he confronts a threat. he can't neatly explain. It's a fascinating idea that draws the Doctor back from less responsible portrayals that have him solving and explaining all the Universe's problems. Instead, while he confronts the Beast, he never really knows what it is other than that it challenges his suppositions.

In addition, to the great script and acting, this also features some notably good camerawork. Overall, this is one of the stories in the revived series and is an under-respected masterpiece.